Cheltenham defends small fields on Trials day with quality in abundance

The likelihood Cheltenham's Trials day fixture on Saturday will be run on the largely unprecedented going description of 'good' has played a part in some of the races drawing small fields, according to track officials.

Chantry House will face just four rivals in the Paddy Power-sponsored Cotswold Chase, while his Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate Champ will line up against the same number in the Welsh Marches Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle.

Those races – due to headline the ITV coverage on the broadcaster's main channel – have attracted their fewest runners since 2011 and 1998, while six contest Cheltenham's Grade 2 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, which – along with the Cleeve – was not staged last year when the course was waterlogged and the Cotswold Chase moved to Sandown.

No problems exist this weekend for Trials day – the last action at the track before March's festival – and on Thursday morning the going was tweaked to good (from good, good to soft in places).

"We updated the ground to good this morning, taking the remaining good to soft out," said clerk of the course Jon Pullin. "We've got a dry forecast from today through to racing with a very slight risk of a very light shower – but nothing measurable – on Saturday morning; it will amount to nothing. At this stage, we'd envisage starting on good."

Cheltenham runners and riders

The last Cotswold Chase to be staged on good ground was in 2006 when See You Sometime struck for Seamus Mullins. The largest number of runners to line up was ten in 2013, and just three took part in 1982 and 1988.

"Those quality races tend to have smaller fields anyway, particularly the Cotswold Chase and Cleeve Hurdle, and I'm sure good ground in January hasn't helped that," said Pullin, who identified other potential factors behind the lack of runners, including Lingfield's new meeting last week at which the 160-rated Bristol De Mai, who has run in two Cotswold Chases, took part in a new £150,000 conditions event.

"It would be unusual to have such ground, so I'm sure it's had some influence.

"We've had a very favourable winter as far as the weather has been concerned and there have not been the number of abandonments we'd normally see, particularly during January, so horses have had plenty of options. That's another factor.

"Lingfield raced on heavy ground and we're good, so there were options about and I suppose the question around a horse like Bristol De Mai is, would he have run in a Cotswold Chase on good ground? He managed to run last week and might well have had an entry in the Cotswold, but probably wouldn't have ended up running because of the ground."

Champ: high-class gelding runs in the CleeveCredit: Edward Whitaker

There was some frustration in the autumn from the bookmaking industry when ITV4 was due to screen a three-runner novice chase at Cheltenham, while two 20-strong handicap hurdles were not shown, although low sun issues and sponsorship slots do not always make planning the best terrestrial television coverage straightforward.

ITV’s broadcast on Saturday will also include five and seven-runner Grade 2s from Doncaster.

Pullin, a former conditional jockey and experienced racing official who took charge at Cheltenham in November, added: "In an ideal world, we'd have the quality Graded races with full [each-way] fields, but I think it's important for terrestrial coverage and ITV, who do a fantastic job, to tell a story.

"What we have got on Saturday are horses we'd hope to see back here in March competing for the feature races. We've got the quality there, which is great to see and it's important to tell that story through the season."

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